Line 9 reversal approved

BELLEVILLE– The National Energy Board[2] approved on Thursday Enbridge[3]’s plan to increase capacity and reverse the flow of oil through the Southern Ontario Line 9 pipeline. The line runs through Belleville north of the 401.

Capacity in the 639-kilometre pipeline, which stretches from Sarnia, Ontario to Montreal, Quebec, will increase from 240,000 to 300,000 barrels per day.

The pipeline will now flow in an eastward direction, which it originally flowed in between 1976 and 1999, but changed because of market conditions.

The NEB made its decision just months after holding public hearings on the controversial project. Concerned groups, including First Nations and environmentalists, expressed their opposition to the project at those hearing.

Enbridge has also been approved to transport different types of oil, including heavy crude, but the energy giant has to meet certain conditions and requirements before the project goes ahead.